Teenager tragically hanged himself after parents ban him from using his phone

TRAGIC: The teenager had probably expected his father to follow him upstairs before he could come to harm

Declan Gatenby had been ordered to hand over the phone after he got into trouble at school.

But on the sixth day of a seven-day punishment he asked for his phone back, only to be told by his father that he had to wait another 24 hours. In a rage, he ran up to his bedroom where he was later found by his nine-year-old brother Jordan hanging from a belt.

An inquest heard the teenager had probably expected his father to follow him upstairs before he could come to harm.

“He was a typical teenager who got into trouble at school on a few occasions, but nothing serious”

Wayne Gatenby

But dad Wayne, 31, told police in a statement: “I heard the front door open and close and presumed he had gone out.”

The inquest heard that Declan regularly played games on his mobile and rarely put it down.

Wayne desperately tried to revive his son as he waited for an ambulance at their home in Rossendale, Lancs.

He told the Burnley hearing: “He was a typical teenager who got into trouble at school on a few occasions, but nothing serious.’’

Recording a verdict of misadventure, coroner Richard Taylor said: “I do not believe he actually intended to end his life.’’